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Vidosic vents at 'garbage' showing

Sam Lienert

BRISBANE ROAR coach Rado Vidosic has questioned whether his players are as hungry for A-League success as he is after a thrashing from Melbourne Heart sent them to bottom spot.

The back-to-back A-League champions were thumped 4-1 at AAMI Park on Friday night in a performance that prompted skipper Matt Smith to publicly apologise to fans.

Vidosic called the Roar's efforts ''garbage'', saying it appeared as if the players did not want to be there.

''There was no heart in our play,'' he said. ''It was just the game individuals didn't want to play in, didn't want to perform. It was probably the worst performance we've seen from this lot in 2½ years.''

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It was the Roar's third straight loss, leaving them with just four points from six games. But the coach, who took over after Ange Postecoglou left to join Melbourne Victory within days of securing last season's championship, was not taking the blame.

''I'm not questioning my ability because I've been at the club for seven years and I've been part of the last few years of our success, the same as the players,'' Vidosic said. ''I'm hungry, I want to achieve even more. Can they match my hunger?''

If motivation was ever a problem, four defeats in six matches ought to be enough of a spur, he said. Players were getting the same support and training that had made their team the competition's powerhouse in the past two seasons, yet at times struggled to string basic passes together.

''This year it looks like it's just not happening, for whatever reason,'' Vidosic said.

''We are working exactly the same as we worked in the past.

''They are getting exactly the same information, the training sessions are exactly the same, everything is exactly the same apart from the performances.''

Smith said the players had let down the club and its supporters.

''We need to apologise - to our coach, to our club, to our fans,'' he said. ''It was probably the lowest point I've had at the club.''

The Heart's win lifted them from the bottom at least temporarily into sixth spot.